After nine impossibly long months, a single wailing cry rang through the air; the waiting was over.
He felt his wife's hand that had previously been gripping his with inhuman and bone-crushing strength begin to slacken. She looked up at him from the bed, exhausted with her hair sticking to the front of her sweaty forehead, still beautiful. Sometimes he thought back to how they had first met as just a receptionist and a paper salesman. Just two people who worked in the same office and that was all. Now they'd just had a baby together. Her eyes were shining with tears but her smile was bright and excited.
Realizing at that moment that his mouth had gone completely dry, he studied the little pink bundle that was now cradled safely in her arms. After only a couple of minutes, it was sleeping peacefully, a small portion of it's cute face peeking out from under the hospital blanket, eyes shut closed. He felt his arms reach out tentatively, almost by themselves, to try and hold it. It was awkward at first, him terrified of not supporting its head the right way or being the one to drop it, but eventually with the help of a nurse he got the hang of it. Staring down at the warm, defenseless thing in his arms, the terror came creeping back. How was he going to do this? He was responsible for this person, this human being.
Then she opened her eyes… and once their gazes met, the fear, the doubt, everything, all went away.
His wife turned out to be an amazing mother. The instant the baby started to cry she was there in milliseconds with a bottle, diaper, whatever. It was the way she looked at her that really did it. A look filled with insurmountable amounts of affection and protectiveness that he hadn't even known one person could possess. She loved picking out her outfits too. She'd even already picked out little dresses with frills on the hem, and miniature shoes to match.
As the months went by, he heard his co-workers becoming bored listening to him but found that he could not care less. He continued to brag about how his kid was now rolling over at an advanced level, or how each day she was getting closer and closer to pronouncing, "Daddy."
Now it was summer and nearly three years later. Every day he would wait impatiently for work to end just so he could come home and see her popsicle-stained face. Seriously, the mere amount of cuteness she had could be almost suffocating to the unprepared person. The other day she stood on the grass next to the sprinkler, squealing in delight when the cool water touched her bare toes. It was both amazing and kind of scary how much she resembled her mother. They had the same adorable smile, same perfect nose, even the same bubbly laugh. The eyes though- they were his.
Today he watched as his daughter toddled unsteadily over to him on the porch. He kissed her soft light brown hair that felt warm from the sunlight. She fell asleep on his lap, her small head resting contentedly on his chest, clearly wiped out from her play-date with Cecelia over at Tuna's that afternoon.
He felt a light pressure on one of his fingers as the girl squeezed it gently. His little 'Nard puppy.
Did you think it was Jim/Pam?? 'Cause that's what I was going for. It was kind of hard trying to make it sound Andy-ish and but also something Jim could say at the same time. Adorkable? Feedback 'preciated.